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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22557841">Starlight and Starcrossed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/89tczier/pseuds/89tczier'>89tczier</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bad, Bad People Don't Live in Our House [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ben Hanscom Loves Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh Loves Ben Hanscom, Fluff, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, teenagers in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:06:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,651</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22557841</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/89tczier/pseuds/89tczier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> She feels thirteen again, staring at his half submerged face as they swim around. His eyes were so soft, capturing the gleam of the water and shining a beautiful hazel. Something had twisted inside of her, and although Eddie had been calling her name for a while now, she didn’t want to move, didn’t want to look away. </i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ben and Bev make a promise. Title taken from '<i>Let's Get Married</i>' by <i>Bleachers</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bad, Bad People Don't Live in Our House [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623067</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Starlight and Starcrossed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She could die, right here, right now, and Bev would die happy.</p><p> </p><p>The thought comes to mind as the Losers prance through the woods near the quarry, shouting and hollering about Stan’s early graduation. They’re tipsy, and the the only thing preventing Beverly from tripping over a twisted root or her own feet is Ben. The two of them are bringing up the rear, not quite wanting to get caught up in the playful pushing and wrestling the other boys are currently doing. There’s a shriek as Mike and Richie hoist Stan up on their shoulders,and their laughter rings through the trees. Bev’s only half paying attention to them, as much as she wants to be present for this, her vision slowly begins to tunnel to Ben.</p><p> </p><p>Ben, who’s grinning from ear to ear as he watches the five best friends the both of them have, has his arm around Beverly’s waist. Ben, who’s very presence is enough to melt through anything that might be weighing her down, keeping her upright. Ben, the boy she’s been in love with for near enough four years now, loving her just as much.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>She feels thirteen again, staring at his half submerged face as they swim around. His eyes were so soft, capturing the gleam of the water and shining a beautiful hazel. Something had twisted inside of her, and although Eddie had been calling her name for a while now, she didn’t want to move, didn’t want to look away.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Her first attempt at speech falters as her mouth goes dry, only a mumbled attempt at his name slips out. It barely registers to Ben, but he turns and looks at her, leaning downward in hopes of catching what she says. His eyes shine bright and Bev goes warm.</p><p> </p><p>The words are slow to come out of her mouth, and she has to restart as Bill grunts upon opening the door to the clubhouse. “Ben, can we talk for a sec?”</p><p> </p><p>Ben turns to properly face her, eyes full of a hazy concern because who likes hearing that coming out of their partners mouth. To try and assuage some of his fears –and because she really, really wants to– Bev leans forward and presses her lips to his, blindly sticking her finger up at Richie as he wolf-whistles at them. Ben’s hand is still cupping her face as she pulls away.</p><p> </p><p>“You tuh-two coming?” Bill sounds like he’s smirking.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re fuckin’ gonna be!”</p><p> </p><p>Bev grins ear to ear, “beep beep, Rich! We’ll be down in a minute.”</p><p> </p><p>A joke about Ben’s pull-out game is cut off by Eddie pulling Richie the rest of the way into the clubhouse, their bickering muffled as the hatch-door shuts.</p><p> </p><p>“Everything okay?” Ben asks, pushing a stray curl from out of her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Her cheeks warm, and try as she might, she can’t not kiss him again. Deeper, as the other boys aren’t around to make fun of them for it.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you so much,” Bev mumbles as they break apart, “you know that right? Like I am one hundred percent crazy about you?”</p><p> </p><p>Ben nods against her, wrapping his arms around her waist, “I love you too, but uh, you’re kind of freaking me out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can we sit?”</p><p> </p><p>Ben nods, leading her to a large tree stump. It’s not quite enough for them both to fit, and Bev’s right side is pushed close against him. She can smell the beer and cologne coming off of him and it takes a fair amount of effort not to bury her face in his neck and stay there. Their hands are still clasped together, his thumb slowly running over her knuckles.</p><p> </p><p>“This is going to be… a lot?” His brows furrow in worry, “wait, okay, I just realised what this sounds like and don’t worry, this isn’t that kind of ‘thing’, I just want to like… talk through something? Get your opinion, spitball a bit, well okay maybe spitball isn’t the right word because I guess it is a little bit more serious than that–”</p><p> </p><p>Ben chuckles, “whoa, okay, slow down a bit there… I’m all ears.”</p><p> </p><p>He’s still nervous, like Bev’s about to spring something crazy on him (which, in fairness, she kind of is). She kisses his cheek, bringing a little colour back to his face.</p><p> </p><p>“I just… Ben, we’re graduating soon.”</p><p> </p><p>The way his face falls as he connects the dots makes her heart lurch in her chest, “I, uh,” his voice is shaky, “yeah, we are.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, no holds barred… I have no clue what the future is gonna hold for me, y’know? Like, ideally, I leave this fuckin’ town in the dirt and go to some cute, artsy college like Rich or Bill; I’ll pass with flying colours and start my own fashion line… live my dream, yeah?</p><p> </p><p>“But that might not happen, money might get tight, my aunt might get sick, I might get sick, maybe no one gets sick but something fucking happens and makes leaving Derry impossible… who fucking knows? The future is a fucking bitch like that.” The thought is enough to make her feel ill. Derry is the rust in Silver’s chains from long nights searching the streets; the pill bottles that line Eddie’s bathroom sink; the looming painting in Rabbi Uris’ office; the scorching heat and smell of ash; the werewolf; the mummy; the blood on the walls; the fucking clown. Even the possibility of Beverly spending any longer than she has to makes her skin crawl.</p><p> </p><p>“Bev, I think I kn-”</p><p> </p><p>“But one thing is for certain,” she continues, riding the confidence buzz from the liquor all the fucking way through. She needs to say this and needs him to hear it, whatever fucking happens from there, she can figure out, “Benny, no matter what road I end up taking, I want you there with me.”</p><p> </p><p>He turns to face her, mouth agape in near awe. She’s teetering ever so slightly closer, having to consciously pull herself back slightly so she doesn’t get lost in kissing him again.</p><p> </p><p>“Ben, right now there are six good things about this town, five of them are doing god knows what right now,” a timely thump and yells from below them pointedly backs her up, “and one of them I have loved for damn near four years now. And every time I look at him, every time I get to hear him talk about his poetry, every time I kiss him, I get little flashes of that white picket fenced house with a golden retriever or some cliche shit like that, and fuck, Ben, I just get so happy…” her eyes are starting to sting. She feels the pad of Ben’s thumb wipe away a tear from her cheek and she turns her head to press a kiss to his palm.</p><p> </p><p>“Beverly…” his eyes are wide with vulnerability, shining even in the dim light. He swallows thickly, “you’d really want that?”</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t trust herself to speak, nodding vigorously as her vision swims.</p><p> </p><p>He pulls her close to him, so close she can feel his heart racing under his shirt. “I want that too… like you have no idea. I think about it all the time, getting to actually live with you… asking you to, um,” he trails off, and Bev’s glad he does, because she knows they’d be beyond regaining composure if he finished his sentence. “I thought I was being naive, like this was just something I’d built up in my head to be more than it was, which sounds horrible, I know. It just,” his voice cracks, and he lets his head slump, “it seemed so impossible. But… if you’re serious about wanting this, Bev, then I’m in. I am so, so, so in.” He loosens his hold around her so she can straighten up and look him in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… holy fuck, yeah! This is happening,”</p><p> </p><p>“This is happening,” he repeats, “I uh… I don’t have a ring?”</p><p> </p><p>She shakes her head, “not right now, or else I might literally die… here’s how it’s gonna go: after our last final, we’ll drive and meet up, I don’t fuckin’ care where, and you can ask me there, yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll meet you right outside that hall, don’t care how long the drive is.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fuckin’ perfect, oh my god, we’re gonna fucking do this.” She’s grinning ear to ear, Ben is too.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you so much,” he says, giving her hand a squeeze.</p><p> </p><p>She means to say it back, but what leaves her instead is a snort, followed by, “and you thought we were about to break up.”</p><p> </p><p>Ben sucks in a breath and a strained laugh escapes him. “I did! Oh, holy shit, Bev you really scared me for a second there…” he wipes his eyes with his sleeve.</p><p> </p><p>She giggles, standing up and pulling him towards her, “I love you too, Haystack.”</p><p> </p><p>They stay there, foreheads pressed together for what feels like a second and a whole fucking eternity before Beverly speaks again.</p><p> </p><p>“We should probably get back to the others,” she starts to head for the hatch, but Ben pulls her back and catches her lips in a kiss that makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. His cheeks are still wet and the salt from their tears coat their lips, but Beverly loves it all the same.</p><p> </p><p>She’s breathless when they pull apart, and with a final kiss pressed to her forehead, they make their way to join the others.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Are you two okay?” Mike asks worriedly as they step into the clubhouse, no doubt startled by their puffy eyes and red cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>“Never better, Mike,” Ben replies.</p><p> </p><p>“Jeez, Ben, were you that bad?”</p><p> </p><p>“Quiet, trashmouth.” Eddie taps his face with a socked foot, hammock swaying slightly with the movement.</p><p> </p><p>“That <em>good</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>Beverly laughs wetly, “beep beep, Richie.”</p>
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